 "Consumers Want More Control, Choice On Mobile Web")
As per a new study released by IBM, 80 percent of consumers would prefer a service provider that gave them more choice in the applications and services available on their mobile device. The study, titled, ‘Go mobile, grow’ produced by IBM’s Institute for Business Value points to how consumer demand for customisation and personalisation will drive innovation and open standards in the mobile marketplace.
The mobile web provides people with access to the Internet anytime and anywhere. The market for mobile Internet services is estimated to reach $80 billion by 2011, with increasing usage expected to fuel growth in both the provision of services and mobile Internet advertising. At the same time, the number of mobile Internet users worldwide is projected to approach 1 billion, a 191 percent increase from 2006 and portraying a compound annual growth rate of 24 percent. The ubiquitous availability of IP wireless broadband and more affordable advanced smart phones will change the way companies around the world operate and relate to their customers, employees and partners.
IBM surveyed nearly 700 consumers around the world on their preferences regarding the mobile internet. 69 percent of consumers reported they want devices that are open to personalisation and configuration of applications.
The IBM survey found the mobile web will increasingly be used for utility and transactional services. For example, nearly 60 percent of consumers are interested in banking via mobile devices. Other utility services include e-mail, instant messaging, stock trading, news and information and general browsing. Also, entertainment applications are growing in popularity with the IBM study finding 53 percent of consumers interested in mobile TV and 45 percent interest in buying music via mobile devices.
“Clearly the same market forces which empowered consumers to choose personal computers that were open and enabled them to customise their applications are at play in the mobile web marketplace,” says Dr Sungyoul Lee, global consulting leader, Electronics Industry, IBM. “Our survey found 60 percent of consumers do not have a specific brand preference when using mobile Internet services. With consumers clamouring for choice, the marketplace will need to innovate around open platforms and models to build loyalty.”
Markets around the world will adopt the mobile web differently. In mature markets, IBM consultants predict the mobile web will extend and complement the personal computer. While in emerging markets like India and China, consumers are skipping their first PC purchase and going straight to high-end mobile platforms that deliver the same service. IBM consultants also predict that in semi-literate populations, people will use low-cost mobile phones, whose user interface will be voice-based, which will greatly expand their connectivity to people and data.